Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.I've now heard the name of Cal tight end Craig Stevens more times here in Indianapolis than I had all through the 2007 college football season.
There seems to be a growing consensus that if you're a team looking for a tight end who blocks first and catches passes second, Stevens is your man. He put up 27 reps on the 225-pound bench press, making him the strongest tight end at this year's Combine, and he's one of the few tight ends around who actually considers himself primarily a blocker. Coaches love tight ends who love to block.
The only question is just how high a draft pick a blocking tight end is really worth. Yes, Stevens can catch passes; he's scoring a 21-yard touchdown against UCLA in the photo. But he never caught more than three passes in any one game in his college career, and most teams think a tight end who's purely a blocker shouldn't be a first-day pick. But the team that drafts Stevens will have a guy who can step in and contribute in short yardage immediately.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-23-2008 @ 11:05AM
BlueStarDude said...
For the few years I've been following the combine it's pretty clear that there's basically no correlation between bench press reps and pro performance. Still, in a normal year Stevens would probably be the fourth or fifth rated TE prospect. But this is a strong year for TEs and I'd have to believe he's eighth or ninth at best.
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2-23-2008 @ 5:41PM
Dan said...
Stevens has been under the radar his whole career because of his dominance in blocking. He has been given a bad rap about his hands proving today by catching everything thrown to him. Yes, he has dropped some passes just like every other receiver and TE. He also caught some great ones too. He ran a 4.62 40 today and proved he's faster than he looks. He will be a top 5 TE pick in this years draft.
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2-23-2008 @ 11:42PM
Dan said...
Update. Stevens ran an official 4.59 40 yd dash.
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2-24-2008 @ 8:46PM
Danny said...
I think the combine is a joke.You have seen the guy play 4 years so you know what he can do.What can the guy do that they dont know about him that should change ther opinion in 2 days.You see how fast a guy is on tape and what he can do.Take Mcfadden for example.All of sudden they say he is not that good from looking at him for 2 days but have said for 6 months he is the best in the draft.What did he do in 2 days that changes the facts of what they saw for 4 years
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